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While developing proprietary systems, such as integrated point-of-sale systems or Apple Inc. iPhone applications, can help a merchant-service provider increase revenue and retain clients, it also can create sales and marketing challenges, observers generally agree. "When developing something new, it take a while for people in our industry to feel comfortable enough with the product to sell it to their merchants," says Ben Goretsky, CEO of USA ePay, a Los Angeles-based online-payment gateway. Product training is necessary to increase the likelihood that agents will sell a proprietary product to merchants, says Henry Helgeson, president and co-CEO of Merchant Warehouse Inc., a Boston-based ISO. "Industry reps are so conditioned to talking about price. It takes sales training to get the reps comfortable enough to talk about the product," he says. New salespeople entering the industry also are helpful in selling new systems because they are not focused on existing systems or selling methods, notes Goretsky.
